Revenge is a dish best served ice cold and flaming
by ExKage
Summary: Neo contemplates her future and takes action in the wake of Cinder's wreaking havoc on Vale and on Remnant. One-shot written for the May MonCon.
Author's Note: I decided to try and write some fanfiction to try and give my FFXIV RP motivation a spark of life. Or even jump start some motivation to RP The Division with my buddies. All the writing I have done for over 10 years has been technical writing, papers, or roleplay stuff. Some issues I had with this piece with the amount of time I put into it were things like world building and awareness of the characters' appearances. That type of stuff aren't as necessary when you already have a graphical element in an MMORPG which is where I have spent most of my time writing. Anyway, here's a RWBY one-shot for the /r/RWBY May MonCon. Character(s): Neo; Theme: Revenge.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words I have typed. All else is Rooster Teeth's and Monty Oum's.

The destruction of the city could not and would not compare to how she felt as she searched Vale. The ravaged remains of men, women, children… faunus or human alike. It had not mattered. None of them had mattered when none of them cared one bit about her. Only _he_ mattered. Torchwick. She had barely heard him call out for her as she was forced off the bullhead by Little Red.

Her employer, Roman Torchwick, was the only one willing to pay her what she was due or give her jobs. Too many dipshits thought that because she…. had a…. shorter stature than many that she was _weak_ or _incapable_. Torchwick was not under the same impression. Without him, she was going to have to be quite thorough in getting her lien. She needed to find him this second. Unless Red had done what they never thought she was capable of. Unless Red had actually taken his life. The thought of having to work and make that headway once more filled the woman with rage before she shut down that feeling. Hard. The area was filled with enough Grimm as it was without her negative emotions becoming a beacon for them to swarm her as she searched. Torchwick's continued existence was not going to make or break her but it would be an extreme inconvenience if he were dead.

Which, turns out, he was. Roman Torchwick had died.

Neo had finally found his bowler hat atop of some rubble. Further investigation found Melodic Cudgel several feet away covered in Grimm grime. It was obvious really but Neo could only wonder if perhaps it was just a ruse. No, Red wasn't like that from what Torchwick had told her. She was too naive. Too heroic.

None of this mattered now though. No, what mattered was revenge. What mattered was getting what was due. Neo had done her job, for the most part a small voice in the back of her mind whispered. She was due her lien and Cinder owed her. Lien and then some.

* * *

It wasn't hard to find for a woman like Neo. After all, she had had to participate in the team with Cinder, Emerald and Mercury. A brief investigation into who had tried to stop Cinder the night of the dance had revealed where Red lived. The small island of Patch. From there, it wasn't too hard to pretend that she was a student who had met Red at Beacon and at the Festival. It wasn't completely a lie. What she did mind was the amount of walking she had to do but it wasn't as if she could hire transportation. She didn't have any lien at the moment and she couldn't easily leave Vale just yet to get to what she had. Besides, revenge was to be had and she was going to get what she wanted. Using her semblance, it wasn't too hard to avoid notice. None were looking for her here, least of all Red and that would allow her to do what she wanted without much fuss.

Except for the fact that Neo couldn't find the crimson-streaked black haired energetic little brat anywhere. Red was _gone_. She wasn't at her house in Patch. Who was here at the house was a surprise and what a state she was in. The tall blonde with lilac eyes that burned red with rage. Yang? Those eyes briefly blinked red before turning to a glazed, dull lilac when Neo revealed herself.

"W-what do _you_ want? Come to finish me off?"

Neo's eyes blinked. One pink and one brown, switching back once… and then back again. She smirked before leaning closer to show a typed message on a Scroll.

 _Revenge_.

Yang snarled, bring what remained of her right arm into the air before pausing. The tension in the air was thick for a few seconds before the blonde slumped back into the bed she was wallowing in against the bedrest. "If you want revenge against Ruby for Torchwick being eaten by a Griffon, she's not here. She _left_. Just like Blake. SHE LEFT JUST LIKE-"

Neo interrupted the blonde's growing tirade with a hand, blinking her eyes brown before settling on pink and white as she stared into the lilac eyes.

 _I want revenge on the one who started this mess._

Her free hand not covering Yang's mouth was able to quickly type out her messages.

 _Cinder owes me my payment and income. Wick is gone cuz of her and he was finally actually someone who paid me my dues. I want revenge on that bitch and I thought Red would want some too._

Neo gave Yang a smirk, slowly bringing her hand away from blonde's mouth with a slight, very slight caress. The blonde blinked, settling once more into a disgruntled stance.

"So why aren't you gone after her then? I already said Ruby left. She's gone."

Neo grinned widely, her eyes tinkling with mischief as she typed. _Don't_ you _want revenge?_

Yang swung her left arm and right stump up into the air, slamming her left fist into the bed covers as her right stump just brushed against the blonde's bust. Yang let out a choked grumbling sob at that, finally getting out, "Yes! Yes I want that Cinder bitch dead! I want that guy who hurt my partner dead! I wish I actually broke both of Mercury's legs! But _life is just an unfair bitch sometimes!_ If you haven't already noticed, I have only one arm!"

Neo only grinned more; Yang's eyes had finally started to gain some life. The dull lilac eyes burned red for brief moments.

 _Ironwood has mostly robotic limbs. Mercury has two robotic legs._

Yang's left fist trembled. She bit her lip in rage and sorrow. But she didn't say a word. If Mercury could get two robotic legs, Yang Xiao Long, the daughter of Taiyan Xiao Long, should be able to get an arm that could handle her Semblance and Ember Celica. But…

 _I want you to hire me._

Lilac eyes blinked, confusion set in Yang's face at Neo's words on her Scroll. "What?"

 _Hire me. I know where to go and who to bother. I want revenge and you want revenge. Simple._

"Simple? How is any of this simple? In case you haven't forgotten, you have nearly killed me and my team. You've helped wreak havoc on Vale!" Yang cried in disbelief. But it wasn't as if the blonde was as aggressive or forceful with her words as she could have been. Neo could see that Yang just needed a small nudge. Yang wasn't as naive as Red.

 _Weren't you the one who wrecked Junior's club? You know as well as I do that money and life can make many people do what isn't always right. Cinder said she was going to give us our lives and lien. She gave us neither, but you can and will._

Neo gleamed. _Besides, revenge is a dish best served cold and flaming._


End file.
